MOTORSPORT AMERICA EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS OF THE NHRA TOP FUEL & FUNNY CAR ELIMINATION ROUNDS AT THUNDER VALLEY!
MOTORSPORT AMERICA EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS OF DAY ONE & TWO COMPETITION OF THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS
STRONG STORMS WERE A THREAT ALL WEEKEND AT THUNDER VALLEY THAT INCLUDED SEVERAL RAIN DELAYS DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER
by Derek Jackson
Motorsport America traveled to Thunder Valley in Bristol, Tennessee to bring you coverage of the NHRA Super Grip Nationals at Thunder Valley! Please enjoy these exclusive photos brought to you by Motorsport America photographers Fred Hanyon and Doug Lewis!
BUDDY HULL RETURNED TO THUNDER VALLEY AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY, WHERE THE JIM DUNN RACING TEAM ROLLED OUT THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSAY MOON EYES LIVERY. THE ICONIC YELLOW & BLACK DESIGN IS A LONGTIME FAN FAVORITE!BUDDY HULL’S ICONIC MOON EYES FUNNY CAR SQUARES OFF AGAINST DAVE RICHARDS AND BLUE BIRD TURF RACING AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!TWO SIDES OF THE SAME STORY WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS FROM MOTORSPORT AMERICA CAPTURING THIS RACE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TRACK! BUDDY HULL’S ICONIC MOON EYES FUNNY CAR vs DAVE RICHARDS AND HIS BLUE BIRD TURF IN Q2! DAVE RICHARDS WON THE RACE WITH AN ET OF 4.078 AT 315.78 MPH!CHAD GREEN IN HIS BOND COAT FORD MUSTAND DOING A BURNOUT IN THUNDER VALLEY!HUNTER GREEN DOING A PASS IN HIS BOND COAT DODGE! HUNTER AND HIS FATHER CHAD GREEN ARE THE ONLY FATHER-SON DUO RUNNING IN THE NHRA!HUNTER GREEN DRIVING HIS BOND COAT TOYOTA DEFEATED THE JIM HEAD FORD MUSTANG DRIVEN BY SPENCER HYDE IN Q2 WITH AN ET OF 5.570 AT 127.57 MPHJULIE NATAAS OF DROBOK, NORWAY MADE HER NITRO FUNNY CAR DEBUT IN THUNDER VALLEY WITH DEL WORSHAM RACING DRIVING THE AIRMINE TOYOTA SUPRA!JULIE NATAAS REMAINED CONSISTANT IN HER FC DEBUT WITH A 4.04 SECOND PASS AT 314 mph TO START THE DAY ALONGSIDE RONN CAPPS AND HIS NAPA TOYOTA SUPRA!IN Q1 ACTION IN THUNDER VALLEY, DANIEL WILKERSON DRIVING HIS SCAG FC DEFEATED CRUZ PEDREGON WITH AN ET OF 4.095 AND A SPEED OF 309.42 MPH!THE BEST SIDE-BY-SIDE FC COMPETITION OF THE DAY WAS THE Q4 PAIRING OF JOHN FORCE RACING’S AUSTIN PROCK VS. THE SCAG OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT FC DRIVEN BY DANIEL WILKERSON. PROCK RAN THE LOW ET OF THE ROUND WITH A 3.958 WHILE WILKERSON PULLED A 3.977!JOHN FORCE RACING’S AUSTIN PROCK DEFEATED DANIEL WILKERSON’S SCAG FC IN Q3 WITH AN ET OF 3.931 AT 328.30 MPH!TONY STEWART RACING’S MATT HAGAN DURING HIS BURNOUT RUN. HAGAN IS THE TOP SPEED RECORD HOLDER IN THE FUNNY CAR DIVISION AT THUNDER VALLEY, SET IN 2024 WITH A SPEED OF 330.34 MPH!TONY STEWART RACING’S MATT HAGAN IN HIS JOHNSON HORSEPOWERED GARAGE FUNNY CAR VS. 67 Y/O PAUL LEE IN THE FAR LANE AT THUNDER VALLEY. HAGAN WAS MATCHED UP AGAINST LEE IN BOTH Q1 & Q2, BESTING THE SST DRIVER ON BOTH RUNS.CRUZ PEDREGON IN THE NEAR LANE VS TONY STEWART RACING’S MATT HAGAN AT THUNDER VALLEY IN THE FC Q3. PEDREGON SCORED THE WIN OVER HAGAN WITH A 4.049 AT 316.23 MPH!JIM HEAD RACING’S SPENCER HYDE AT THUNDER VALLEY IN BRISTOL, TENNESSEE!BOB TASCA III IN THE NEAR LANE DRIVING HIS FORD PERFORMANCE MUSTANG IS MATCHED UP AGAINST ALEXIS DEJORIA IN HER BANDERO CAFE FC. DEJORIA TOOK THE Q2 ROUND AGAINST TASCA III WITH A 3.948 ET AT 328.14 MPH!IN A MATCH UP OF WOMEN DRIVERS AGAINST EACH OTHER IN COMPETITION, ALEXIS DEJORIA IN THE NEAR LANE DEFEATED JULIE NATASS OF NORWAY IN Q4 WITH A TIME OF 4.631 AT 183.00 MPH!J.R. TODD DRIVING HIS DHL FC DEFEATED ALEXIS DEJORIA IN Q3 AT THUNDER VALLEY WITH AN ET OF 3.987 AT 327.03 MPH!IN Q2 ACTION AT THUNDER VALLEY, RON CAPPS DRIVING HIS NAPA AUTO PARTS TOYOTA SUPRA FC DEFEATED J.R. TODD WITH AN ET OF 3.960 AT 324.51 MPH!IN Q4 ACTION AT THUNDER VALLEY, J.R. TODD DRIVING HIS DHL TOYOTA SUPRA DEFEATED JOHN FORCE RACING’S JACK BECKMAN WITH AN ET OF 4.004 WITH A SPEED OF 326.24 MPH!BOB TASCA III IN HIS FORD PERFORMANCE MUSTANG TAKING ON DAVE RICHARDS IN THE FC Q3. TASCA CLAIMED THE WIN TO ADVANCE TO Q4 AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!NORWEGIAN NATIVE IDA ZETTERSTRöM DOES A BURNOUT IN HER JCM RACING DRAGSTER AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS IN BRISTOL, TENNESEE!BRITTANY FORCE DOES HER BURNOUT IN THUNDER VALLEY PRIOR TO HER RACE AGAINST IDA ZETTERSTRöM! BRITTANY WON THE ROUND WITH A TIME OF 3.811 AT 330.39 MPH! THE TWO-TIME TOP FUEL WORLD CHAMPION RECORDED THE FASTEST SPEED IN DRAG RACING HISTORY PREVIOUSLY AT THE CHARLOTTE 4-WIDE NATIONALS IN APRIL WHEN SHE PROPELLED HER HENDRICK CARS DOT COM DRAGSTER TO 341.59 MPH!JUSTIN ASHLEY DOES A BURN-OUT IN HIS SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT TOP FUEL DRAGSTER AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS! SCAG IS THE OFFICIAL PROVIDER OF OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT TO THE NHRA!JUSTIN ASHLEY BATTLES BRITTANY FORCE IN Q1 AT THUNDER VALLEY! ASHLEY POSTED A TIME OF 3.886 TO BRITTANY’S 3.899!CODY KROHN PROPELLED HIS CK RACING TOP FUEL DRAGSTER TO A WIN AGAINST IDA ZETTERSTRöM IN THE Q4 ROUND AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!SHAWN REED PREPARES HIS REED TRUCKING AND EXCAVATING TOP FUEL DRAGSTER FOR IT’S RUN AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS!DRIVING THE R+L CARRIErS TECHNET DRAGSTER, JOSH HART PREPARES FOR HIS RUN AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS!SHAWN LANGDON ADVANCED TO THE E3 ROUND AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS WITH A WEEKEND PERSONAL BEST TIME OF 3.800 AT BRISTOL. PREVIOUSLY IN APRIL AT THE 4-WIDE NATIONALS IN CHARLOTTE, LANGDON WON THE MILESTONE 1,000th NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP RACE. IN HONOR OF THAT HISTORIC MOMENT, LANGDON WAS AWARDED A REPLICA OF THE VERY 1st NHRA TOP FUEL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY PRESENTED TO DON GARLITS IN 1963!4-TIME NHRA TOP FUEL WORLD CHAMPION STEVE TORRENCE DOES HIS BURNOUT PRIOR TO HIS RUN AT THE NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS!STEVE TORRENCE SPINS HIS CAPCO TIRES IN Q1 COMPETITION AGAINST TENNESSE NATIVE AND HOMETOWN FAVORITE CLAY MILLICAN, SEEN HERE DRIVING THE ARBY’S WE HAVE THE MEATS TF DRAGSTER!CAMERON FERRE FAILED TO ADVANCE BEYOND Q1/E1 AT THUNDER VALLEY, WHERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAMPERED THE YOUNG DRIVER’S WEEKEND.DOUG KALITTA IN HIS NEWLY SPONSORED AFLAC TOP FUEL DRAGSTER, BESTED FOUR TIME NHRA WORLD CHAMPION MATCO TOOLS’ ANTRON BROWN IN Q1 COMPETITION WITH A TIME OF 3.909 TO BROWN’S 4.002!DOUG KALITTA DEBUTED HIS NEW AFLAC SPONSOR COLORS THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND THEN PROMPTLY RAN A 3.909 AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!DOUG KALITTA MATCHED UP AGAINST THE MONSTER ENERGY TOP FUEL DRAGSTER DRIVEN BY BRITTANY FORCE. KALITTA BESTED THE NATIONAL RECORED HOLDER IN Q3 WITH AN ELAPSED TIME OF 4.610!TONY STEWART DOING A BURNOUT IN HIS JOHNSON POWERED GARAGE TOP FUEL DRAGSTER AT THE NHRA SUPERGRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS IN TENNESSEE! THE LEGENDARY RACE CAR DRIVER SCORED HIS 1ST & 2ND NHRA CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS SEASON WITH WINS AT THE 4-WIDE NATIONALS IN LAS VEGAS AND THE ROUTE 66 NATIONALS IN CHICAGO!TONY STEWART’S WIFE LEAH PRUETT IS A RETIRED TOP FUEL DRAG RACER AND A VALUABLE MEMBER OF THE RACE TEAM. HERE SHE IS SEEN HELPING HER HUSBAND TONY STEWART POSITION HIS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER BEFORE HIS #2FAST2TASTY NHRA CHALLENGE ON JUNE 7th AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!LEAH PRUETT HELPS HER HUSBAND TONY STEWART POSITION HIS TOP FUEL DRAGSTER BEFORE HIS #2FAST2TASTY NHRA CHALLENGE ON JUNE 7th AT THUNDER VALLEY IN TENNESSEE!TONY STEWART WINS THE Q4 RACE AGAINST DOUG KALITTA WITH AN ET OF 3.803 AND A SPEED OF 324.05 AT THUNDER VALLEY! THE LEGENDARY RACE CAR DRIVER PICKED UP HIS FIRST #2FAST2TASTY NHRA CHALLENGE, ADDING TO AN ALREADY SUCCESSFUL YEAR WITH TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER HIS BELT FOR THE SEASON!IN A YEAR OF FIRSTS FOR THE RACING LEGEND, THE TOP FUEL POINTS LEADER ADDED TWO MORE AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY, PICKING UP HIS FIRST CAREER No. 1 QUALIFIER AND WINNING THE MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE RACE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE 24TH ANNUAL NHRA SUPER GRIP THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS!
